Posted on: March 20, 2026, 09:31h.
Last updated on: March 20, 2026, 09:34h.
- Vegas Golden Knights slipping in the Conference standings, 3-7-0 in the past 10 games
- Team hits the road, in Nashville Saturday against the Predators
- 3 reasons why it’s time to worry about the Golden Knights
These are jittery times for Las Vegas Golden Knights fans, with the team coming off a 4-0 loss last night at T-Mobile Arena to the Utah Mammoth. That’s two shutout losses in a row for the Golden Knights, 3-7-0 in their last 10, good for seventh place in the Western Conference, four points up on the eighth-place Los Angeles Kings.
Consecutive Shutout Losses
If the playoffs started today the Golden Knights would face off against the Edmonton Oilers, led by the best player in the world, Connor McDavid, weighted down by tons of pressure, past playoff failures and lofty expectations, and now major injury (Leon Draisaitl).
The NHL playoffs start April 18, and if those rankings hold, I wouldn’t be putting money on the Golden Knights in that scenario, even with Oilers’ play dropping off as well, along with Draisaitl coming back. The Oilers sit in sixth in the Conference.
Betting Odds
Before the season, at BetMGM, the Golden Knights were +8o0 to win the Stanley Cup, tied with the Oilers with the shortest odds. The Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes were at +850, followed by the Dallas Stars at +900. More than 40% of handle was on three teams to lift the Cup – the Golden Knights, Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Over/Under for points in the pre-season was 104.5, with the team’s point pace now 90.3. Projection sites like MoneyPuck has the Golden Knights at 17.3% to finish first in the Pacific Division (they’re two points behind first place Anaheim), 27.8% chance to finish second in the division, 26% to finish third. The Ducks face 10 non-playoff teams in their final 14 games, the Golden Knights seven.
Now? At DraftKings, Las Vegas is +950, after the Avalanche (+250), Tampa Bay Lightning (+450), Hurricanes (+450) and Stars (+900). The Oilers are +1300 (the Maple Leafs are +100000!).
At FanDuel, Las Vegas is +1100, after the Avalanche (+340), Tampa Bay Lightning (+370), Hurricanes (+550) and Stars (+1000). The Oilers are +1800 (the Maple Leafs are +200000!).
Three Reasons for Concern
Before the Utah game, head coach Bruce Cassidy said: “The last piece of the puzzle for us is finishing the plays that make the difference in the game. I am looking at the standings. I know where we are, and cognizant of where other teams are, certainly our division. But I am more concerned about ourselves.
“We have to keep the puck out of our net … goaltending, team defence. When we’ve done that, we’ve won a lot of games. If we can expect to get to where we need to go, that’s the team we are going to have to be. We can’t open everything up if we lose a game. We can’t fall into that trap. We’ve been a decent scoring team all year.”
That was before last night’s shut out. On the injury front, goalie Carter Hart, out with a lower body injury, has been skating, but Cassidy said yesterday Hart likely wouldn’t accompany the team on the road for their next game Saturday in Nashville against the Predators. Vegas is -130 for that game, the Predators +110.
“He’s progressing, getting closer,” he said.
Goaltending Play Suspect
The Golden Knights have a swath of talent, and the salary commitment to prove it – just $655,601 in current cap space, according to PuckPedia. Bad goaltending has been the big issue – Adin Hill makes $6.25 million per year, but isn’t reminding anyone of Martin Brodeur, with a .869 save percentage in 19 games. Three shots, three goals last night, just 8:12 into the game.
Akira Schmid has played 33 games, with a .895 save percentage. Hart is coming back, though. He was on the way with the Philadelphia Flyers (22 wins in 55 games in 2022-23, and a .907 save percentage, then .906 in 26 games with the Flyers 2023-24) before a legal issue (he was found not guilty of sexual assault in July 2025) took him out of the game for a year.
Lack of depth scoring has been another reason for concern, and that’s connected to the third issue – injuries. The Golden Knights have deeply missed centre William Karlsson (30 goals with Las Vegas 2023-24), out since November with a lower body injury. His return this season is not guaranteed. The Golden Knights have yet placed him on long-term injured reserve.
Lack of Secondary Scoring
Jack Eichel is centring Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev on the top line, with Tomas Hertl centring Mitch Marner and Pavel Dorofeyev on the second line.
The Golden Knights have scored just 13 goals their last six games. Cassidy called it last night – over-passing, not simplifying, then things getting tight. Eichel, Marner, Hertl and Dorofeyev are carrying the offence, and an injury Stone put a spotlight their shortfalls.
Bottom line – since the Olympic break, the Golden Knights have a .333 points percentage, third worst in the NHL, and are 0-12-1 since Jan. 19 when the opposition scores first, according to ESPN.
The goaltending is shaky, the secondary scoring needs to wake up, and they need to stay healthy – or it’s adios amigos in the first round, assuming the Golden Knights make it at all.
